Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85
एकमप्यक्षरं यस्तु गुरुः शिष्ये निवेदयेत् । पृथिव्यां नास्ति तद्द्रव्यं यद्दत्त्वा चानृणी भवेत्
ekamapyakṣaraṃ yastu guruḥ śiṣye nivedayet | pṛthivyāṃ nāsti taddravyaṃ yaddattvā cānṛṇī bhavet
Quand bien même le guru n’enseignerait au disciple qu’une seule syllabe, il n’est sur la terre aucun bien dont l’offrande puisse acquitter cette dette sacrée.
Śākalya (admonishing Yājñavalkya)
Listener: Śaunaka et al. (implied)
Scene: Śākalya delivers a solemn maxim: the debt to a guru for even a single syllable cannot be repaid by any earthly gift; the court falls silent in recognition of the truth.
FAQs
Knowledge is sacred; the debt owed to one’s teacher is immeasurable, calling for lifelong reverence, service, and humility.
No particular site is named; the verse delivers a dharma-teaching embedded within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.
No specific rite; it prescribes an ethical obligation—repaying the guru through conduct and service rather than material compensation.